237 Homes to be Demolished in Jerusalem

Israeli occupation authorities from the Jerusalem municipality and heavily armed police stormed the neighborhood of Wadi al-Hummus, in Sur Baher town, to the south of Jerusalem, on Sunday evening, taking measurements of homes threatened with demolition.

The head of Wadi al-Hummus Committee, Hamada Hamada, told the Palestinian Information Centre that the planned demolition campaign will include 237 apartments that are homes for about 500 people. He added that the Jerusalem municipality asked the residents to demolish their own homes, or it would do the demolition and force them to pay steep fines.

Hamada also said, according to the PNN, that an Israeli court has given the families until 18 July to evacuate and demolish their homes. The demolition campaign comes under the pretext that the targeted homes are too close to the separation wall and pose a security threat. Israeli laws stipulate that Palestinian homes must be at least 250 meters away from the wall.

Wadi al-Hummus is inhabited by over 6,000 Palestinians, 500 of whom will be forced to leave after the demolition.